STALKER: Cry of The Oasis
by Dignitias
Summary: The Zone is falling apart, and no one knows why it's happening. Ever since the Miracle Machine and the Brain Scorcher were shut off, the forces of The Monolith dwindled to only a few dozen all scattered throughout The Zone. The Military pulled out, leaving behind whoever wasn't lucky enough to be evacuated. Emissions worsen, eradicating anything dumb enough to cross their paths.
1. Friends Kill You From The Front

It was so long ago...So long that I've forgotten how long I've been here. The Zone's become something different from what it used to be...something worse. The Zone's trapped all who remain here, and that includes my own weary self. Ever since our family became distant and... _gone_ , nothing ever felt the same. Losing papa and almost losing my eldest brother Charon... He never was the same after that... Hell, that's why I'm here in the first place. My other siblings wouldn't want anything to do with my dead ass and I knew it too well... When mama died... I had nothing, _nothing_ left. The only person I knew I could count on was missing, and it was up to me to find him, whatever it would take... I know I'll find you, Charon. Just wait a bit longer, your little brother is coming to help you get out of this hell.

At least... that's what I had hoped for...

 **POP POP KRAK!**

The bullets cracked through the wind, piercing my chest. The pain was something on a whole different level from what I've experienced before. I could feel my ribs creak and groan from the sudden air and force making it's way into my body as I fell over onto my back. I gasped for air. Was one of my lungs pierced? I couldn't tell. All I felt was pain and misery. I couldn't focus on anything besides pain and trying to breathe steadily. One of the bullets grazed my heart, probably. The beat was strange, rather than it's one two pause beat, it took much longer in the pause to start beating. It must've grazed it enough to fuck me up, that's for sure. I felt blood pooling in the tunnels the rounds created. It cascaded down and was creating a large pool around me, soaking into my backpack I had strapped onto my self.

The figure that was coming torwards me stopped and looked around. Whatever they felt, I felt it too. A rumble was vibrating the air and ground around us. I could feel a strange pressure in my spine, giving me chills all over as I lay here. Through the pain, I struggled to hear the figure become agitated as it sprinted away. Which direction I couldn't tell, considering I was dying at the moment. As I moved around in pain, I could hear a crinkling inside my pack. I must've broken something inside of it. Whatever the fuck it was, I couldn't tell. A bright flash covered the sky, it's color red. Soon following it, a series of dark green streaks of lightning followed with explosions filling the air.

Oh God, no. Out of all the times to be stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, it's with three holes in my chest, and in the middle of a fucking emission. I panic as I struggle to get up, the pain searing in my chest. **"F-FUUUUCK!"**

Okay, I wasn't getting up, that was for certain. I look over to the steep hill to my left. If I tried to fight through the pain, I could probably crawl over the edge, covering myself in a ditch and brush. So, with the will power of a mad-man, I crawled my ass over to the steep hill, looking over to see large bushes. If the fall didn't kill me, the emission definitely would. I rolled over the hill, plummeting to the brush to hopefully break my fall. The impact wasn't pretty, but I managed to not die somehow. I started rolling off the bushes to then cover myself. By the time I was completely covered and tucked in, I could feel my brain starting to become numb from the oncoming wave. I silently sobbed to myself as I readied myself for death. Before the wave of radiated dust and death, I passed out from the pain, becoming un-aware of the world that surrounded me as I fell into the darkness.

 _Somewhere else within The Zone..._

A cloaked figure trekked through the dead streets of Pripyat, their mission a mystery to all who saw them. Their sole mission; To find the man with the symbol of the Triquetra... That was all their priest told them. Much like the cloaked figure, twelve others just like them were sent in all directions to look for this man. How would they know if it was the man they were looking for? All their priest said was to look south and to look hard, for the fate of their faith was to become extinct...

The figure looked to the sky, it becoming a sickening gray as the figure lifts the hood from its head, looking to the dead sky above, disconnected from the rest of the world in its own plane of existence. The figure who rested on the hill of rubble and debris thought to itself on where to look first... That is until they felt something, a chill run down their spine, making the hairs on their neck stand up straight. Something is coming, and it was coming soon. The Zone will change, for better or for worse, they did not know, but something was definitely coming and The Monolith needed to prepare for it and find the Triquetra soon, for all hell would break loose...


	2. The Coming Storm

My mind...was blank. I felt nothing, and yet I sensed everything all around me. I slowly awoke, my chest aching. My vision was blurry, brush and dead leaves surrounded my sight, the hazy and cloudy light bleeding through the seams and cracks the large blockade of leaves left. Pushing myself out of the bundle of leaves and sticks, I stood up. I felt my body, expecting there to be much damage, and yet when I do feel myself, the holes where the rounds entered, they were...smooth? I found it extremely odd at the fact that my wounds simply healed after only one emission storm. With the wounds I had sustained, it should've taken days, if not weeks to heal myself. Brushing off the fact that wounds I thought had existed, wounds I thought I had simply vanish gave off an eerie feeling for me.

"Well, no time to dwell on the past...better move it so I don't get caught out here without something to protect myself with..." I checked the right-side of my waist for my bowie knife. After finding it, examining it for any damage, I headed out for The Skadovsk, or as some that are local to Zaton call it; The Ice-Breaker. As I wandered, I wondered to myself about the history of the place that surrounded me. The forestation that surrounded me, used to live naturally on its own and yet now, it's nothing more but a husk, a shell of its former glory and image...much like the rest of the Zone. All those people that lived here...evaporated in the blink of an eye. I think back to the past of the family I had, the family I vowed to protect. My mother...father...brother. Charon...what did he mean by "heading north"...? I always knew that private military job would make him disappear one day...Yet, I can't shake the feeling he's still...out there somewhere, wandering these wasted lands like me, living each day, wondering when my next meal will come, or when will someone snap and take my head as some sick trophy...I finally reched my destination; The Skadovsk. I jogged the rest of the trek there, to hurry up and get out of any line of sight for potential snipers.

I quickly closed the hatch door and made my way up to Beard, the bar-tender and owner of The Skadovsk. I could feel some eyes on me, notably Sultan's. He always had a job for me if the time would arise for such banditry. Ever since the Monolith were defeated however, bandits started dying out like an endangered species, very few veterans of their kind existed, much like the Monolith. I calmly made my way to Beard, for a nice drink was in store to tend to my aching body that begged to stop and rest and rest I would. "Welcome to Skadovsk, or as some say it, the Ice-Bre-oh, Sasha! It's a pleasure to see your face around here again, my friend! What brings you to our little establishment today?" I smile, albeit weakly for I was gravely tired from the trek, and the beating of the hot sun hadn't made the travel very easy either. Believe it or not, Zaton was the hottest area in the whole Zone and hot it was in the day. Ready to get right to ordering my usual, I sat my sack on the floor.

"I'm just here for a good ole' brew of your finest tea, Beard. Stuff's damn good, wish I knew the recipe, hehehe. Although, knowing this place, it'd be hard to get the ingredients from the outside world now wouldn't it, for more than just one reason too..." I joke with Beard as we make some small talk, catching up with each other. The last time I had set foot in Skadovsk was almost three weeks ago. I was running a serious job for a big squad of Mercenaries and needed a place to rest. What better than the ole' Ice-Breaker itself... Making me a fresh batch of tea, he filled up my two canteens with the stuff, filling the third with water mixed with vodka. The burning flavorless sting of Vodka wasn't too good on my throat, so I had it watered down enough to soldier it through. Miraculously, the ship we stood in had a small stream of clean, untouched water coursing through it. To ensure this was kept true, Beard had filtered pipes run below the ship, and run some into large jugs he installed, so not all of it would be wasted and it could cycle itself back around.

As I enjoyed the sweet taste of Beard's homemade beverage, he lightly tapped me on the shoulder, getting my attention. Screwing the cap on my canteen, I face him to see what the man required. He slowly scanned the room to see what everyone was up to. The place was rather barren save for Gonta and his friends. A few familiar faces appeared to be gone like Grouse, but it made sense. I'll never forget his face..."Y'need something, Beard...?" I say quietly as to not alert anyone to our private business. The look on his face worries me...Beard's never nervous about anything and yet he wears that exact emotion...This can't be good...

"I...don't mean to bother you, Sasha, but...someone is actually here to...see you. I didn't get a good look at who they were, but they knew your name and they even paid me over nine-hundred thousand Rubles just to keep their presence on the down-low...I don't really know where some stranger just gets that kind of money, but whoever they may be, they mean business. I might even stretch it far enough to say they could be a _she_ , Sasha...Hell, they wore a cloak over their body, completely covering who they were. I might even go as far to say they even rival your height." The disbelief was written on Beard's face the entire time he spoke to me, almost as if he didn't even believe it himself in what he spouted to me. Whoever it may be was a mystery to me, but with my recent luck with strangers, I wasn't too keen on meeting them...

My kindness got the better of me and went to check out whoever this person may be. Of course, not before telling Beard I was going to "go for a rest" as I put it. I waved to Gonta and his crew... or atleast what remained. The Chimera hunt was still burned into the back of my head, forever revealing just how dangerous those mutated, sickening abominations could be. I stirred my head straight, pushing my darkening thoughts into the back of my skull, readying myself for the mysterious cloaked person who waited within the stocking room. Upon arriving at said room, the door was closed. This surprised me, for no one's really ever closed this door, but I guess it made sense this _one_ time that it'd be closed.

I greatly struggle to open the door, the major amount of rusting and aging made it difficult to operate. Whoever even closed this must've been extremely fucking strong to even move it a good amount. "J-Jesus! This damn thing won't budge a damn _bit_!" Noticing the door was cracked open a smidge, I managed to knock lightly with my open palm and I call out to whoever was inside. "H...hello? Anyone there? It's me...Sasha, the man you asked for. My friend downstairs said you needed me for something?" I tried calling out into the room as quietly as possible to not stir any people asleep in the room behind me and to not let Owl's nosy attitude leer over into my business. Damn Owl...always butting into someone's business. You'd think that old fart had a vagina or something with how he loved drama and all that crap!

The door opened effortlessly...well...The door resisted a shit-ton, but it didn't matter much to whoever was opening the damn thing. Piles and piles of rusty little bits all gathered on the corners of the floor from the amount of force being used. Who knows, after some more fidgeting, it might be usable again...None of that mattered to me the moment I looked up and saw the figure who stood before me. My God... Beard said they'd rival my height...? They practically tower over me if I didn't stand completely straight! I stood a good six feet and two inches and yet this person stood almost three and a half inches taller than that... I felt a very eerie and cold chill run down my body. I could almost feel their eyes touching me when they looked at me... 

From the dark cloak, I could barely make out their eyes...their cold, glaring, soul piercing, un-moving eyes...My core shook just from their stare alone. What could hide beneath that veil? A demonic and crooked fiend who'd tear out my gullet for a measly wager, or some cold-hearted devil who wouldn't think twice about murdering me for what I've got. "Ah... so you are Sasha then... please, come in here with me. We have much to discuss together..." Their voice rang out, and with their voice, a tone of feminimity came with it. It shocked me enough to keep me planted right where I was. Their voice was that of a woman's. Deep, yet feminine in fact, she talked awkwardly, almost robotic in a sense. We went into the storing room as she closed the door shut... She(?) even went as far as to double check if it wouldn't budge if someone came near... Turning to me, the person looked at me, gazing up and down, their head slightly tilted to the side as they studied my body, making me feel naked in a sense.

"S-so... Who might you be..." I slowly speak to her(?) as they trudge a little closer, a little too close if you would've asked me... but I digress. I go to sit indian style and as I do this, they follow me, except they go for a more formal sitting position, opting to go for the legs folded under approach. I slowly put my right hand near my knife if this all went to shit. "You don't know me, but... me and my brothers know of what you have become. We recognize your looks anywhere, prophet..." Before I can question why she(?) sees me as something that I'm not, they slowly start removing their veil...

Oh my God...they're...they're...THEY'RE...!

A woman... why I was surprised was beyond me. At least now I knew she wasn't some creep who was going to do strange things to my corpse. When I got a better look at her, I noticed she was actually quite attractive to boot. She had a very young face, her cheecks puffed out only just slightly, indicating a healthy amount of fat all around. Her cheekbones were slightly pronounced, with a natural flush surrounding them, even if the flush was ever so faint. her jawline was shaped into that of a very round "V" shape, her chin bulging a small bit, a tiny dimple forming in the center of it. In fact, she had small dimples near her mouth as well. Another thing was her mouth, her lips were full, yet they weren't pronounced, instead creating a shape that resembled that of a rabbit as they formed a neutral frown. Her hair was a very chocolate-brown, tied in a loose ponytail as hair draped from her ears. Even her nose resembled a rabbit's snout, giving more into that rabbit look. If it were not for the current circumstances, I'd even tell her this...

What struck me odd the most was her skin color, this girl was the palest I'd have ever seen in my life. If not for her breathing and looking at me right now, I'd have thought her a walking corpse! After realizing I had been staring at her for almost a full four minutes, I quickly shake my head and look elsewhere. My ears started getting hot from embarassment from acting like a complete goof. "A-ah, s-sorry for staring, ma'am. Say...w-what exactly was it you needed from me...?" Her expression changed, if only slightly when she realized I was talking to her. Her eyes widened a tad-bit along with her mouth opening, almost as if she was shocked and frightened I had turned my upmost attention to her. She quickly bowed to me, completely un-aware of my complete shock at her rambunctious actions. After bowing to me, she quickly grabbed my left hand and...kissed it...

"W-W-Wait, what in the heck are you doing, lady?!" I recoiled my hand from her... _s-soft_ lips and looked at her like she was insane...really cute and attractive, but insane. She had mistakened my surprise for anger and went back to bowing, almost like she was on the verge of tears, like I was about to execute her family or something. I immediately realized she must've mistaken me for understanding her greeting, and I quickly go to wrap my arm around her to let her know she's okay. "H-heeeey...it's alright...Don't gotta be worried about nothing, lady. Look, i was a littled surprised, but it's okay, I'm not mad or anything alright? Come on, lemme see your face..." I gently get her to look at me up-close.

 _W-wow_...Being deprived of female contact for almost three weeks really made an impact on me...I was absolutely stunned by this woman's beauty...I softly held my hand against her left cheek, as she gently leaned into it. Her face was so close to mine...I could almost kiss...no...I can't do that, it'd be wrong to do that to a woman I just met..."There...I'm not angry...see?" I widely smile genuinely at her to disarm her fear of me, in the hopes that she wouldn't run away and get hurt. It was a damn miracle she survived this long out here with no one else to aid her...

She goes back into that neutral frown, yet her eyes become soft as she stares at me...I look down to her and I think to myself...'Damn, if she came all this way to see me, she must be real damn hungry.' I look to her and I go back to my resting position and pat the space next to me. "You must be real darn hungry, huh? After all that walkin'...Come on, I won't bite ya'." I grin happily as she slowly crawls right up next to me...okay, that's still a little close...Any more and all she'd have to do is wrap her arm around me at this point..."So, ready for some grub, then?" She quickly nods to me and I get out the little cooker I kept in my pack. I rummage through some broken items to find my lighter and start cooking some grub for the both of us...


End file.
